


Rush

by ToBebbanburg



Series: F1 AU [3]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: A modern F1 AU, Documentary style, Drabbles, Here we are I guess, each chapter is a standalone, ripping off drive to survive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBebbanburg/pseuds/ToBebbanburg
Summary: A documentary style fic shamelessly ripping off Drive to Survive. Each chapter is a different "episode", focusing on part of a modern F1 AU.Chapter 1: Nile's rookie year in F1 as the first female driver in decades
Series: F1 AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149191
Comments: 13
Kudos: 27





	Rush

**Author's Note:**

> So a few people mentioned a modern F1 AU, and the idea just wouldn't leave me.

**RUSH, EPISODE 1: A NEW HOPE**

_Montage footage of Nile Freeman through her career. We see photos of her on a pedal car as a toddler, pictures of her family taking her to Indycar and NASCAR races. Photos of her standing on a karting podium aged 10, 12, 15, smiling and holding trophies. Videos of Nile in W Series, talking with her mechanics, race footage of her overtaking the other drivers, of her crossing the finish line. End with Nile spraying champagne on the podium. As the footage rolls, Nile talks._

NILE FREEMAN, DRAGON RACING: Every kid who gets into racing wants dreams of competing at the highest level, right? F1, Indycar, that sort of thing. And so it seems kinda weird to say that when I got the call from Quynh to join Dragon Racing I actually had to think about it for a while.

QUYNH NGO, DRAGON RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL: Nile had been on our radar for a while, but when she stepped up to W Series that’s really when we took an interest. She just had this sort of quality to her, the sort of calibre that would have journalists everywhere calling her the next Senna or Schumacher if she were a man. Before she’d even won her first race of the season I knew I had to have her.

Nile: W Series was life changing. I mean for one it was my first jump to racing on the international stage, but for another it felt like the first time I had a proper support network around me, you know? I’ve always had my family with me every step of the way, of course, but with W Series that network grew to include my team, the race organisers, the promoters, even the other drivers. It’s so cliché to say it, but it was honestly like one big family. So even though I _knew_ F1 was the best move for me, I still felt kinda sad to step away.

DIZZY MARWANI, W SERIES DRIVER: Oh we miss Nile so much. Like thrilled for her, obviously, but damn do we miss her.

JORDAN DAVIS, W SERIES DRIVER: There’s a huge deal of camaraderie between us all, and Nile was a huge part of that. I mean being thrown together for an F1 feeder series, a group of women trying to break into a man’s sport? That’s the sort of bond that’s for life. Nile stepping up to F1 really gives me hope that more of us will make the move, that we’ll really start to change thing.

Nile: Honestly, if W Series wasn’t opening for half the F1 races this year I’m not sure I’d’ve accepted Quynh’s offer. *She laughs* But seriously, it’s made such a difference having the girls at the track, cheering me on. I mean my heart was beating so damn fast during that first qualifying session but knowing they were all watching and rooting for me? That made all the difference.

Dizzy: We’re gonna be so unbearable this season. We’ve all got flags, Jordan got t-shirts made, and we’re gonna be there with Nile every step of the way shouting and cheering and waving like hell.

_Footage of the W Series drivers chatting, laughing, hugging, turning into the same drivers hugging Nile now as she’s dressed in Dragon Racing overalls._

Quynh: I hate gender stereotypes. I deplore them. But it’s no stereotype when I say that the love and support these women have for each other is far more healthy and productive then the men here who barely even talk to each other outside of the track. Mental health is just as important to a driver’s performance as their physical health, and the warmth and support of the W Series is only going to make Nile stronger. It’s not a weakness to have feelings: drivers aren’t machines, and I think _some_ team principals need to realise this.

JOE AL-KAYSANI, MCLAREN: Nile was a breath of fresh air. It’s always nice to have younger drivers come up through the ranks, keeps us on our toes, and right from the get-go she was fighting alongside the best of us.

Quynh: Let me get this straight. Nile isn’t a diversity hire. She isn’t a pity hire. She’s here because I want the best team possible, and Nile was by far our best option. *She smiles* And she proved me right.

**ROUND 8, MONACO**

Joe: Monaco’s a weird race, you need _completely_ different tactics from any other circuit because overtaking is so damn hard. All the pressure’s on qualifying, and if you’re lucky enough to get pole... that’s one butt-clenching race.

Nile: Monaco _terrifies_ me. We’d never raced there in W Series, so it was completely new to me, and my simulator practice went... badly.

SEBASTIEN LE LIVRE, DRAGON RACING: Nile reeeaaally couldn’t get the hang of Monaco on the simulator. We have a tally back at HQ of the number of times we’ve crashed in the simulator- mines 14. Over five years. Nile passed that on Monaco training alone.

Quynh: I wasn’t worried. Of course I wasn’t worried.

Booker: Oh Quynh was totally worried. I’ve been in this team for years, I can tell when the boss is worried.

Nile: Do you know when you’re a kid and you have a test coming up that you _know_ you’re going to do badly on, and you pull a sickie just to avoid it? I honestly considered doing that before Monaco.

NICKY DI GENOVA, FERRARI: Everyone has off days, and no driver is going to excel at every track. The fact that it took Nile until Monaco to have her first real knock is a testament to her skill.

Nile, laughing: God I really hate Monaco. It wasn’t all that surprising really when I crashed in FP1.

Quynh: It was _barely_ a crash. She tapped the wall, that’s all.

Nile: They had to completely replace the front wing, I was mortified.

Booker: My first crash, three of the wheels came off and I took about half the field out with me. I think Nile’s gonna be just fine.

Nile: I was not looking forward to qualifying after that, let me tell you. I spent a solid hour locked in the bathroom beforehand trying to get my breathing under control.

Nicky: Your first mistake in F1 can really knock your confidence, and whether or not you can break through that mental barrier and get back in the car again can seem like an impossible task. We’ve all been there, we all know what it’s like, so I thought I would go and check on Nile to see how she was coping before qualifying.

Dizzy: But we got there first.

Jordan: There’s something so incredibly satisfying about telling Ferrari’s number 1 driver to go away. I could get used to that.

Nile: I owe Dizzy and Jordan so much. They talked me down from my anxiety, even managed to make me laugh. I honestly don’t think I’d’ve got back into the car if it weren’t for them.

Quynh: Nile really turned things around. When she set off for qualifying it was with a determination I’d never seen before.

_Footage of Nile stepping into her car, of being strapped in and making her way out of the garage for qualifying._

Interview, prompting: And then what happened?

Nile: Then I managed to steal pole position from Joe. *She grins*

Joe: It was incredible! I’d had pole locked down for most of Q3- no one had managed to come even close. Then with less than a minute left Nile comes out of nowhere and beats me by .1 of a second. I didn’t even have a chance to set another time!

Nile: I couldn’t believe it to start, I thought there must have been a mistake. It was only when I got out of the car that I realised I’d done it.

Quynh: You see? Treat your drivers like people, give them the support and space they need, and they’ll fly.

Booker: I feel like I’m going to have to hand over my number 1 status in the team but hey, I’m old, it’s time. If Nile continues to pull out laps like that she’ll have more than earned it.

Nile: I would’ve just been happy with pole. Starting 1st on the grid at Monaco was more than I’d ever hoped for. Hell I’d’ve been happy if I’d even started at all!

Joe: You know how I said starting on pole at Monaco was tense?

Interviewer: I believe you used the term “butt-clenching”.

Joe: Ah, yeah. Well it’s true. The only way you’re gonna lose that position in Monaco is either if the team ~~fuck~~ up, or if you do. It’s all about defensive driving and tyre management. If you keep calm and steady you’ll be golden, but if you waver for just one second… that’s it.

Booker: Monaco’s actually a pretty ~~shit~~ race. If no one makes a mistake it’s just a total snooze, nothing but a train of cars following each other round the track.

Nile: I have never been more tense in all my life. Nearly two hours of trying my damned best not to mess it up, it was horrible! I feel like I held my breath the entire time.

Joe: I just couldn’t get past her. Every time I thought I saw an opening she’d move to cover it, every time I got in DRS range she managed to find a little extra speed from _somewhere_. She was untouchable.

Nicky: She didn’t make a single mistake. It was incredible.

Nile: I actually cried at the end, from the strain. The second I crossed that finish line and Quynh started shouting in my ear I was gone. I almost crashed again because of the tears!

 _Footage of Nile running to her team to be embraced, her mechanics lifting her up into the air. Booker hugs her, then Joe, then Nicky, then seemingly most of the grid lining up to congratulate her_.

Nile: It was the best moment of my entire career. I just felt like I’d finally proven I should be there, you know? Fighting with the best.

_Footage of Nile on the podium, crying as the US national anthem plays in the background. The W Series drivers can be seen in the front row of the crowd, some crying too._

Quynh: Drivers like Nile are the future of the sport, and today she made the world take notice. I couldn’t be prouder.

Nile: God, that was something else. *She sniffs, and wipes her eyes* How in the hell was I supposed to top that?

_End episode with video of Nile ringing her family, her mother’s cry of joy ringing out into the credits._

Notes for those new to F1: W Series is a women's only series that supports F1 races, and DRS is a Drag Reduction System where if a driver is <1 second behind another on certain parts of the track, they can open their rear wing which makes the car go that little bit faster.

**Author's Note:**

> What's next? Nicky and Joe's rivalry? Andy's battle with the team principals? Booker's retirement? Merrick Gate? (Also this a very new and slightly odd fic format for me, I'm not sure how I feel about it lol. I like conversations and descriptions damnit, not transcripts! But it could work)
> 
> I'm on tumblr @tobebbanburg. Come yell at me about your favourite F1 drivers.


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